Her and Her Unofficial Love Affairs

CHAPTER 17

I took my seat at the front row because I was near-sighted. I was so eager to listen to this seminar because I knew deep down that this could pave the way to my dreams. Then my mobile phone rang.

"You're late! Where are you now?" I asked my best friend with a reprimanding voice.

"I got held up here in the bank. The queue is just too long," she explained.

"I told you yesterday that you have to be here early," I reiterated.

"I'm sorry but at least you're there already," she apologized.

"Okay, okay. Just hurry and the talk is about to start," I demanded dropping the call.

We were fresh from college with only one thing on our minds – to start a wedding-planning business. That day was a great day for us because Kitchie Ng of Getting Married Weddings and Events will be hosting a three-day seminar workshop on wedding and event planning. She's the country's top name when it comes to weddings, catering all the needs of celebrity weddings. In fact, me and my best friend had worked in her company as part-time while we were still studying. That's why we were two years late in finishing our four-year degree. We enjoyed being on-calls for event preparations and one of the weddings Kitchie handled was the wedding of the year 2003, Yilmaz Bektas and Ruffa Gutierrez' fairytale day. So the game was on for Kitchie Ng! She gave us just enough experience for us to start our very own company. And now that she's here, we can really get topnotch hands-on training from her.

Not yet five minutes when I dropped the call with my best friend, somebody poked me from behind. As I turned around, I saw a very big smile on the face of none other than the most "it" girl in our high school. It was cheerleader, Yvonne Cheng.

"Hi, Anj! It's great to see you here. Are you with somebody?" she asked enthusiastically. If I was excited for this seminar, I bet she was more excited than me.

"Yes, yes. My best friend is on the way," I replied smiling back at her vivaciousness.

"Yeah, my boyfriend is here with me too," Yvonne said with hearts on her eyes. Oh, I could see 'em!

"I haven't heard of you all these years," I inquired.

"Well, I just got back from Saudi and I, I mean, we are planning to get married. But there's still no wedding planners here in our town. I must've been lucky to have heard of this seminar. I mean, we," she bubbled. Same old Yvonne. The star cheerleader Yvonne who always wants things and gets things her way.

"Hey," another person poked me and this one was a male voice.

As I turned to the other side, I couldn't believe what I saw. There standing was the boy who hit me big time when we were in high school. Then my world went slow-mo again. There standing was the boy who even without his presence, I've loved! I must've been tongue-tied when Yvonne interrupted.

"Anj?" she tried to bring me back to present.

Yvonne was with her boyfriend as she said a while ago. Then the boy suddenly materialized in my eyes. He sat beside Yvonne therefore, he was her boyfriend. Yvonne said she was getting married. If the two of them were here, then they must be getting married! My mind was so busy processing these facts. The boy whom I was nursing feelings for was getting married! The boy I was always daydreaming of would be tying the knot with another girl!

"Angie!" my best friend shouted from behind, waking me up from my reverie.

"Oh, you're here," I waved to my best friend to her seat by my side.

"Thank God I made it on time," my best friend sighed upon relaxing on her seat. "Hi, Lance. Hi, Yvonne," she greeted the two flatly, not eye-locking but only glancing.

"Hello, best friend! You two are still the best of friends, huh?" the boy quipped.

"Of course! To death!" my best friend replied.

"Oh, how I wish to also have a best friend. My past best friends are now all in thepast," Yvonne uttered with envy in her voice.